Garmin StreetPilot i5

Sat nav devices have come a long way in terms of usability and affordability, as plug-and-play systems swamp the marketplace and prices dip below the $1,000 mark. However, Garmin takes it one step further with its new Garmin StreetPilot i series. The whole family--the Garmin StreetPilot i2, the Garmin StreetPilot i3, and the Garmin StreetPilot i5--is aimed at new buyers with its basic navigation capabilities and affordable prices. You won't find any advanced features, such as a touch screen and text-to-speech functionality or bluetooth, but they have all the essentials for getting you to your destination, text and voice-guided directions, automatic re-routing, and most important, a strong and accurate receiver. For our tests, we reviewed the midlevel StreetPilot i3 ($428), but if you can do without the color screen, take a look at the StreetPilot i2 ($321). Or if you don't mind spending a little extra money to have maps preloaded on to the device's hard drive, check out the StreetPilot i5 ($535).